Virgin And Child, France, Late 16th Century

Virgin and Child, oil on oak panel, dimensions 57 cm x 44 cm, with its frame, 79 cm x 71 cm, France late 16th century. A recurring theme in old paintings, the Virgin is here with Christ who shows his dual nature, human and divine, by posing with the Cross, his foot on the world (salvador mundi) and the skull symbol of his future death. An unusual subject because it is more often represented with the instruments of the passion, only the Cross appears in our painting. Note the pretty bouquet of flowers to the left of the Virgin.